Shakepay Instant: Bitcoin Debit Cards in a Browser Extension

With multiple companies offering bitcoin-to-debit card services these days, there’s a race to see who can make it easiest. Shakepay this week took it a step further by launching Shakepay Instant — one-off VISA debit cards created in seconds, using a Chrome browser extension.

The Chrome extension creates a one-off card number with a pre-set amount. The idea is to be fast and simple — there is no sign-up or identification procedure. That makes the service handy for anyone who either doesn’t have a VISA card for electronic payments, or (b) values privacy and doesn’t like all their purchases being tracked and recorded.

Anyone with the browser extension can create and fund a card, there’s no need to have a Shakepay account. This makes Shakepay more accessible to highly-regulated markets like the United States.

Once the Chrome extension creates a card number, users have 60 minutes to spend its value. If for some reason that time expires without a purchase, they’ll need to contact Shake for a refund.

The cards are denominated in USD but issued from Europe, so it might be a good idea to check beforehand if the retailer accepts non-U.S. cards as well.

Extending Shakepay’s Virtual VISA Service

Canada-based Shake introduced its bitcoin-to-VISA debit card service in September. Customers simply create a virtual card and send BTC to it, then use like any regular card. Smartphone users with NFC chips can use the virtual card to tap-and-pay, and the company will send physical plastic cards to those who still need them.

Shake CEO Jean Amiouny said he is happy with the firm’s growing popularity, with monthly transaction volumes tripling since the September launch. There’s a steady stream of new customers and existing customers using Shakepay more and more.

“Things are going really well on our side and we’re experimenting with new features, like this Shakepay Instant, merging the current banking infrastructure with crypto in products that could not be built at that intersection. We plan to build more products in that direction.”

The video below demonstrates how Shakepay Instant works:

Bitcoiners Will Be Extra Thankful This Year

Shakepay is launching the new service just in time for the annual post-Thanksgiving online sales. Bitcoiners will be especially thankful this year for the current high BTC price. The digital currency’s purchasing power is roughly 130% higher than it was in November 2015.

The advent of virtual debit cards has been a boon to bitcoin spenders, reducing steps between bitcoin wallets and purchases for almost any good or service. There are now multiple services available for consumers, each with varying fee and exchange rates.

At first glance, this appears to be a meaningless rise. Just a few dollars, nothing to scream and shout about, but considering the circumstances surrounding the halving that has now officially taken place, the results are something to celebrate.

The price of bitcoin fell about 5 percent at midday on Saturday, slumping to the $620 range. This drop was only temporary, though, as just a few hours later the price rose by an additional $20, causing everyone to breathe a deep sigh of relief.

“The impact of the halving isn’t based on size, it’s based on marginal profitability,” explains Erik Voorhees of Shapeshift.io.

But some aren’t looking at the halving as an influence at all, believing action in countries like Argentina could lead the digital currency towards a particularly impressive jump. This is where a few unusual situations come in.

Bitcoin Saves the Day in Argentina

In Buenos Aires, the capital city of Argentina, growing “dial-a-ride” service Uber is facing opposition for allegedly operating without permits or tax-identification numbers. Lawsuits from taxi companies are popping up regularly, and credit card companies have blocked Uber payments. Even city officials are taking a stance.

So what’s Uber done? Wanting to stay in business, the ride-sharing service has turned to bitcoin company Xapo, where it has found security in a bitcoin-funded debit card that customers can use to purchase rides. The card is not used locally; rather, transactions occur out of Gibraltar, an area that doesn’t oversee or block Uber payments. Xapo head Anni Rautio says the process of obtaining a card is easy, and the company has already witnessed several customer requests:

“All they have to do is set up their Xapo and receive it at home, and it’s ready to use… This is a very specific situation with a very specific problem and a very specific solution… Since last week, all Uber users in Argentina have been able to use their Xapo bitcoin debit cards to pay for their Uber rides… This is a win for all local Uber users and drivers, and for Uber as a company, as they are able to continue operations in Argentina through Xapo’s debit card.”

So in its fight to garner financial independence for users, it would appear that bitcoin has chalked up another valiant win.

Do you foresee another massive rise? Post your thoughts and comments below!

Bitnovo Allows Direct Bitcoin Wallet Access With New Debit Cards

Spanish bitcoin payment platform Bitnovo is now offering new payment options, one of which is a “Bitcoin charged” debit card that can be used at all retailers and MasterCard-accepting ATMs.

Disclaimer: This article was provided by Bitcoin PR Buzz. Bitcoinist is not affiliated with the firms represented by Bitcoin PR Buzz and is not responsible for their products and/or services.

Converting Between Bitcoin and Euros With Bitnovo

Since its launch 6 months ago in December 2015, the company has reported “impressive growth,” becoming a “favourite selectio[n] among Spanish and English speaking Bitcoin users.”

With is new “Bitcoin charged” debit cards, the company is further expanding its “great selection of payment methods,” which include “card payments” Skrill, Sofort and bank transfers.”

The new debit cards are currently available in euro denominations, and can be “instantly charged with a simple Bitcoin transaction.” With funds depending on the Bitcoin network, Bitnovo says that money will be available for use on the cards “as soon as the transaction is validated by the blockchain.”

Bitnovo says that the funding process for its prepaid debit cards is “extremely fast,” giving customers the ability to spend bitcoins at “any physical shop or online commerce portal in real-time.”

The company also says that their cards work with online service like PayPal and Amazon.

For customers in need of cash, they can user their prepaid debit cards to withdraw money from “any MasterCard ATM across the world.”

“For us, as Bitcoin enthusiasts, it is still very difficult to use Bitcoin in our daily life,” the Bitnovo team explains. “With our solution,” they continue, “you can instantly convert Bitcoin to euros and spend them anywhere, or even withdraw them for cash at any ATM.”

Industry Report: Dr. Satoshi, BitPay Launches Bitcoin Debit Card

There have been some crazy things happening in the world of digital currency since our previous industry report. Is it possible that the identity of Satoshi Nakamoto has been revealed? Los Angeles is now home to some new Bitcoin ATMs, and BitPay has introduced us to a new kind of credit card. Take a look at some of this week’s headlines below:

Editor’s note: Since press time on this article, news has emerged of Craig Wright backing out from his promise to move coins from early Bitcoin blocks. Additionally, his personal site has been taken down and replaced with a message stating his inability to handle the pressure being placed upon him.

Industry Report

SATOSHI NAKAMOTO

The identity of bitcoin’s mysterious creator has long been an enigma, but a breakthrough may have occurred as early bitcoin entrepreneur Dr. Craig Wright is now claiming to be the alleged mastermind behind everyone’s favorite cryptocurrency.

The Australian businessman came forward to give pressuring media platforms the latest scoop regarding his cryptic “alter-ego,” but not everyone is a believer. According to some, all Dr. Wright has to do to prove himself – which he’s yet to agree to – would be “using a real private key from the genesis block.” In other words, he must sign in via a private key owned by Satoshi himself. The news is apparently causing a strain of panic, and some are considering selling their bitcoins before the news supposedly causes the price to decline rapidly.

COINSOURCE

Los Angeles is a melting pot. It’s home to numerous cultures, businesses and just about everything else under the sun, but it’s now the proud station of seven new bitcoin ATMs from financial network Coinsource, which has launched several machines in cities ranging from San Diego to San Jose to Las Vegas.

According to CEO and Co-Founder Sheffield Clark, the company is experiencing massive growth, and interest in digital currency is higher than ever before:

“Our entrance into the Los Angeles area is the most important yet for both the Coinsource brand and for bitcoin enthusiasts in Southern California. The roll out of seven new machines in one go was a significant logistical achievement, but we are proud to bring so many more options for both novices and veterans of bitcoin. With more and more use-cases for bitcoin every day, we foresee a future where digital currency is used as commonly as cash or credit cards.”

WageCan Launches Euro-Based Bitcoin Debit Card

WageCan has recently launched a new euro-denominated Bitcoin debit card. The company believes that this new addition to the market will greatly benefit European Bitcoiners, who can use the card to save money on currency conversion fees when traveling around the region.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored story. Bitcoinist is not responsible for this company’s products and/or services.

The New WageCan Debit Card

The company is also offering a virtual debit card as a part of this release. WageCan says that their virtual card will make online shopping easier on European websites.

Frequent Bitcoin users and freelancers who want to accept bitcoin are the main groups WageCan is reaching out to. They believe that their debit card will make using bitcoin easier for frequent users since it allows people to spend in places that don’t directly accept the currency. Freelancers stand to benefit because they can accept bitcoin and get paid without waiting for bank transfers to clear. They can also spend internationally without losing money to currency conversion fees in the countries that use EUR or USD.

The release of the euro-denominated debit card comes after WageCan became one of the first bitcoin debit card providers to succeed in offering their USD-based cards countries using the United States dollar. The company issues their debit cards in Hong Kong, and has been able to ship their cards to America. WageCan managed to get first mover advantage in that market.

Before the euro-based card, the original WageCan bitcoin debit card still offered benefits to Europeans. People could use the cards to send payments to US businesses, saving them time and money on bank transfers and currency conversions. Now, European customers can spend their bitcoins at home, sweetening the deal for Euro-Bitcoiners.

All WageCan cards operate on top of a major credit card network, and are easy to start using. By piggybacking on the existing banking network, the bitcoin debit cards can be used anywhere regular payment cards are accepted, vastly broadening the business horizons for Bitcoiners. To start using the debit card, you simply load it by sending bitcoins to the WageCan debit card account. These coins will be immediately converted to USD or EUR, depending on which card you have.

Users can also choose to convert their coins at a later time, allowing them to keep their coins in their wallet. This option allows users to take advantage of bitcoin price fluctuations, and convert when the exchange rate is high, allowing them to get the most out of their coins.

Bitcoinist Giveaways: 50 WageCan Bitcoin Debit Cards Up For Grabs

Bitcoinist is proud to announce that we are partnering with WageCan to give away 50 of their popular bitcoin debit cards. The winners of this giveaway will be chosen at random from our newsletter subscribers, so be sure to sign up for our newsletter for your chance to win!

WageCan Bitcoin Debit Card Giveaway

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WageCan is one of the most popular bitcoin debit card providers in the world. With worldwide shipping, WageCan is one of the few bitcoin debit card providers available in the United States, making them a top choice for any of our American readers.

The WageCan debit card is available for a one time fee of 0.15 btc, or $60 as of press time. There are no activations fees, monthly fees or transaction fees with this debit card, and every card has a maximum balance of $50,000 USD or EUR equivalent. ATM withdrawals come witha 1%-2% fee on each withdrawal, and users can withdraw up to $3,000 USD — or EUR equivalent — at a time.

WageCan believes that its debit card is perfect for merchants, freelancers, international workers and cryptocurrency miners. This debit card will allow you to get paid in bitcoins while spending them with ease, with low fees, no bank account requirements, and the ability to top up balances any time.

One of these bitcoin debit cards can be yours, all you have to do is sign up for the Bitcoinist newsletter. If you’re already subscribed, your name will automatically be added to the drawing list, so check your emails regularly to see if you’re one of the 50 lucky winners in our WageCan bitcoin debit card giveaway.

About WageCan

Founded in 2014, WageCan is a Taiwan based team which offers a bitcoin wallet for web and mobile apps. Our objective is to connect Bitcoin with the real world. WageCan enables Bitcoin to US dollar exchange with convenient spending and cash out options through its innovative debit card.

Wirex Launches Buy Bitcoin Service and 2-way Bitcoin Card

London, March 17, 2016 — Wirex Limited has launched the first 2-way bitcoin debit card with a buy bitcoin function. Wirex, recently rebranded from E-Coin, will now enable users to fund their debit card accounts from anywhere the world with bank transfers and alternative payment methods. This move is expected to benefit Wirex’s customers in more than 130 countries globally.

Disclaimer: This is a press release. Bitcoinist is not affiliated with this firm and is not responsible for its goods and/or services.

Wirex Two-Way Bitcoin Debit Cards

Customers can now use their bitcoin debit cards to purchase the digital currency, on top of using them to conveniently spend their coins wherever Visa and MasterCard are accepted. Connected to Wirex/E-Coin accounts, these new cards can be funded through dozens of bank transfer options and alternative payment methods (APMs).

The company supports international and domestic bank transfers directly to users’ accounts. With partner banks in over 68 countries, customers can make quick domestic transfers to their Wirex debit card accounts. Supported banks include Barclays, Lloyds, ING and the Royal Bank of Scotland. The firm has published a blog that lists all the possible methods Wirex customers can use to purchase bitcoin.

The firm also supports bitcoin purchases through popular alternative payment methods. Customers can use services such as PaySafeCard, Sofortuberwesing, Neosurf and Yandex to top up their debit card accounts. A full list of supported alternative payment methods can be found in Wirex’s blog post, “Ways to Top Up Your Wirex and E-Coin Account.”

The company will also be rolling out a new platform some time in April 2016. All users, cards, and accounts will move over to the new wirexapp.com platform without delay once it launches in April. In the meantime, customers can continue to create accounts and take advantage of using bitcoin everywhere through the E-Coin website. For updates on the status of Wirexapp.com, users can visit e-coin.io.